Monat: Mai 2005

Yes, it’s me, I know some people already wanted to declare me dead or at least missing without a trace, but I’m still alive and it’s also not difficult to find me when you live in Taipei, Taiwan. In fact, there are only four places I have been to this month: At work, at home, at school and at the bus. However, if you make it to find me I’ll hardly have time to chat with you, except it’ll be at the bus which brings me to work, home or school.

Ok, however, right now I’m here at work and type as fast as I can to use the less time I have to give you some of the latest news. The month of May always seems to be a month for taking decisions for me, whenever I had final exams, they have been in May, it was in May one year ago when I finally decided to go to Taiwan and this year’s May also required some decisions to take. There have been a few things my girlfriend and I had to think about:

She will finish her second grade soon and the German Department offers a program for students to go to a partner university in Germany to study there for one year. Of course, this would be the best thing which could ever happen to her while studying German. However, the catch is that it is really expensive, in fact it is the same situation I have been in one year ago, moving to another place, especially another country costs a lot of money. The thing is that after any way of counting it through the result is that right now it is just too much to pay for one year over there, I might could help her and support her with money, but this would automatically mean that I wouldn’t have the funds to return to Taiwan after her year in Germany (…of course I also would live in Germany for this time). It seems that we both have really bad luck with our educational careers, I missed getting a scholarship for learning Chinese and her plan going to Germany fails because of the money. What a bummer!

However, I think it won’t be her last chance going to Germany, maybe she will miss this year of studying over there, but after her graduation from university she will have a lot more opportunities and time going to Germany and I really think the time will be better to figure out than it is right now. Right now I can say I somehow settled down in Taiwan, have my work, do my studies, going to understand more and more things. So I decided that I want to stay in Taiwan at least until my girlfriend graduates from university and then see what life can offer for us in Germany.

Probably it’s not that surprising for you to hear this, however I didn’t think about the time I will stay here before and I couldn’t tell you how long it would be. Right now I can say that there will be at least two more years I plan to stay, if it will be possible I don’t know, but I also didn’t know how to do many things in May of last year, however everything worked out fine for me since then.

Ok, so with this decision in mind I also decided that I want to go home for vacation and see my family again and this is the thing I mostly have to think about right now. A flight to Germany is also not cheap and of course I have to pay a lot of things (rent, tuition, phone, living) over here in Taiwan, so everything together in August or September (the time I would wanna go) would probably lead to a shortage of money again…however, I have to go back! Don’t know how many of you haven’t seen their family for one year and if they can understand me, but thinking of staying two more years in Taiwan my next thought is to go back to Germany for some weeks to see my family. Somehow strange, isn’t it? However, would be poor if someone wouldn’t think the same way…

Sometimes it’s hard to take decisions and also hard to make them come true. Whatever important I did so far, it never had been easy, but I always could make it the best for me, so there’s nothing much to worry about, just give it some time and let me work it out, keep your eyes open for my news and if you are willing to donate some money ask for my account number, I could really need it! 😉

Thanks…so I really could make it just to write one single entry in April, coz today we already count May 1st…which is by the way my 250th day in Taiwan 😉 Yes, I’m still so busy, still have so less time, still have so much work to do that it is really hard to get a chance to write…there are just too many things happening at the same time!!!

However, some things also came to an end, like my scholarship application for example. Well, to make it short…..I didn’t get it….I missed the qualification score by 0.9%….the seven best applicants got the scholarship and I am…guess…No. 8. Well, very close, but not close enough. Anyway, if I consider to be Number 8 out from 19 without having time to study and prepare well for the scholarship exam, I am somehow surprised….maybe my Chinese is better than I thought? 😉

For the first six months here in Taiwan I was a student doing some part-time teaching, right now I’m more a worker doing some part-time studying. I think this is something a scholarship cannot give you. Everyday I go to work and make so many new experiences and can automatically practice my Chinese, so I’m somehow glad that I can do so. For sure I wouldn’t deny to get offered a scholarship, but right now I can also say: I don’t depend on it! Probably this is the best thing.

Alright, I still have to do some work or maybe studying or both at the same time….time, oh yes….I just wonder, so actually I don’t need that much of money, but much more time to get everything done properly, so if anyone knows about a scholarship giving you more time instead of money….maybe this is the thing which could be really useful for me right now 😉